Nutrition For Life

Looking for new, inventive ways to improve your eating habits? Warm weather can help you create better nutritional habits. From longer days to seasonal produce, the next few months are a great time to make your diet reach new heights.

Breakfast
Even though it’s typically the smallest meal of the day, breakfast is the most important one because it sets the tone for the entire day. What you eat, or do not eat, will determine how much you eat for lunch, dinner and snacks. If you skip breakfast, you become more likely to binge at lunch and load up on unneeded calories. So how can the pleasant weather help with eating breakfast?

Set up a system with Mother Nature’s virtues as the backbone. Now that the sun is out and the temperature is nice when you wake up, eat breakfast outside every morning. Pick a place – your porch, deck or favorite chair – and take 10 to 15 minutes to eat and enjoy. No need for eggs, bacon and all the fixins; cereal with skim milk, a whole-wheat bagel with low-fat cream cheese or a fruit smoothie is all you need to start the day right. Read more…

A recent study had 42 women eating lunch that consisted of a first course salad and a pasta entrée. The salads they ate varied in both the calorie content and the portion size, but all contained lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, celery, cucumber, and Parmesan cheese. The amount and type of cheese and salad dressing was varied to alter calorie amount. Here’s what researchers found:

* Women who started lunch with a “low calorie” salad consumed 7% fewer calories during their meal.
* Women who ate the small or large portion of “high calorie” salad increased the total calorie intake of their meals increased by 8% and 17%, respectively.
* The most effective approach for controlling calories was eating a large portion of “low calorie” salad before the main entrée. This approach increased fullness while decreasing the total calorie intake of the meal by 12%. Read more…

Trying to lose weight can be a struggle. Three healthy meals, healthy snacks and that’s all it takes, right? Maybe not. It’s very important to concentrate on what meals are made of. But are you sabotaging your diet by drinking unhealthy things? Changing some of the liquid habits in your diet alone holds potential benefits to your health. Below are some “danger” drinks, with healthier alternatives.

DANGER:
Soda: Sometimes our bodies crave sugar, and all too often we answer the call by guzzling soda instead of choosing a healthier alternative. Sugar is one of the main reasons soda is unhealthy, especially if you are trying to lose weight. It’s filled with empty calories. On average, a 12-ounce serving contains more than 110 calories and around 8-10 teaspoons of sugar! Another problem is its caffeine content, which acts as a diuretic, serving to dehydrate the body.
TRY:
Tomato Juice (V8): It’s jam-packed with vitamins and minerals and tastes great. A good source of vitamins A, C and E, it also has a good amount of both calcium and potassium. Made of 100 percent vegetable juice, it starts with tomatoes, which are known for their antioxidant powers. For those concerned about their salt intake, it comes in a low-sodium version as well. If you’re looking for a little jumpstart to your day, its spicy kick is sure to provide it. For those of you who struggle to eat the recommended number of veggies, this is an easy way to consume one serving. Read more…

THE RECIPE: Broccoli and Chicken Noodle Soup

THE DILEMMA: Several ingredients contributed to the soup’s heavy nutritional report card: processed cheese, butter, whole milk, and half-and-half add a hefty amount of fat. Its canned cream of mushroom soup, regular chicken broth, and processed cheese added significant sodium.

THE SOLUTION: The soup’s base warranted the bulk of our attention. We halved the amount of processed cheese and swapped to a lighter version, maintaining a satisfying taste and texture but cutting 79 calories, seven fat grams (five grams of which were saturated), and 286 milligrams of sodium per serving. We made a white sauce for the soup’s base with just three tablespoons of butter and a little flour to thicken low-fat milk; omitting the can of soup cut 25 calories per bowlful. Read more…

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it 937 times: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Why? You just spend eight hours with no food or water. You’re dehydrated, your blood sugar is low and you have little energy. And now it’s time to hurry the kids off to school before the eight-hour workday. More so than any other point in the day, you need nourishment. Right now.

Besides, eating breakfast actually helps you lose weight. Those who skip the meal tend to snack before lunch and throughout the day, usually on unhealthy, high-calorie foods. Breakfast eaters typically cruise until lunch, while beaming with energy.

So what are some unhealthy breakfast ideas? Scratch that – healthy and quick ideas? Here are some of our favorites:

* Prepare a casserole the night before. Pop it in the microwave when you wake up and it will be ready to go when you are.
* Incorporate complex carbohydrates, such as whole wheat toast and bagels. Spread peanut butter and raisins on top of either for added flavor.
* Bake bran muffins early in the week, then grab one or two each morning. Or check out a local bakery for healthy varieties.
* Make waffles Sunday morning and freeze the leftovers. You can pop ‘em in the toaster for a homemade breakfast. Also, grocery stores sell frozen whole grain selections.
* Have you ever tried a tortilla for breakfast? Wrap up cold turkey and cheese, grab an apple and you’re on your way.
* Don’t forget cold cereal. We’re not talking about those covered with sugar, but the healthy variety. Items such as Wheaties and Cheerios are always good choices.
* Whole-egg or egg white omelets with fresh or frozen veggies (carrots, broccoli, celery, peppers, onions and even black beans make great additions).
* Make a shake or a smoothie. Blend fruit and yogurt and then drink it in the car. A side option is a small bag of finger foods, such as a mixture of granola and grapes.

Sticking with a healthy eating plan is hard work. There is no way around that, but for many it means giving up the foods that they love the most. But, you don’t have to do that! If you are limiting yourself so much that healthy eating becomes more of a hindrance than a help, then your good habits won’t last long. So what does this mean? You can still eat dessert– and enjoy it! Learn some smart substitutions to make your dessert a healthy part of your day.

The key to including dessert is to enjoy that sweet treat without overloading on calories, fat, and sugar. Desserts can often make it hard to maintain a healthy weight. But who wants to give up their favorite foods? Willpower is hard to fight against. As with many things in life, moderation is key, so you’ll need to stop yourself before you overindulge. Try sensible portions; you can eat 1 slice of pie and still be in your calorie range for the day.

Not every chocolate cake or banana nut muffin is created equal. Look for things without a lot of butter, nuts, or creamy frosting. Since feeling guilty can ruin a good meal, why not try some of our ideas instead of your “regular” desserts?

Try:

* Low fat cookie
* Frozen 100% juice bar
* Fresh berries with low fat creamer
* A few pieces of chocolate
* Frozen grapes
* Angel food cake
* Pudding made with skim milk
* Nondairy frozen dessert
* Low fat ice cream or sorbet
* Pieces of fruit

If you are the one doing the cooking, there are lots of ways to make your favorite recipes healthier.

Use:

* Egg substitutes or egg whites instead of whole eggs.
* Apple sauce or prune puree instead of oil when baking to naturally trap moisture into your cakes and breads.
* Less sugar. A lot of recipes call for much more sugar than is needed. You might even like it better!
* Fruit-based desserts. Although you still have to be careful, these desserts often have less calories and fat than a chocolate or cream based one.

Dig out the blender! (Don’t worry, nothing high-tech.) Throw in a few simple, nutritious ingredients, give it a whirl and you’ve got a super-quick breakfast, snack, or mini-meal. Who can resist these icy cold, frothy concoctions, fondly known as “smoothies”? Kids as well as adults love them! Follow these simple guidelines and blend up your own batch today.

For the Calorie Conscious
To help keep calories under control, avoid smoothies made with high-fat and high-calorie ingredients like ice cream, whole milk, and cream. Instead use low fat items such as skim milk, low fat yogurt, fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt, frozen ice milk, fruit juice, silken tofu, soymilk, soy yogurt, and rice milk. When a recipe calls for peanut butter, use it in moderation. (Although high in protein and the healthy monounsaturated fat, the calories can add up quickly, due to the total fat content.) And be careful with the portion size—one cup (8 ounces) is the standard, not the entire contents of the blender.

Fruitylicious!
The very best smoothie is creamy and thick, NOT watered-down or icy. A great trick for adding thickness to your smoothie—without adding additional calories—is to freeze the fruit before making the smoothie (or buy frozen fruit). Start in the fresh produce section of the grocery. Select berries, bananas, pineapple, kiwi, watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, pears, plums, mango, anything. Grab the familiar as well as the unusual. When fresh stuff is unavailable or too pricey, check out the fruit choices in the freezer section. Canned fruit can also be used as a nutritious, tasty alternative, without the extra expense. Once you arrive home:

* Immediately place frozen fruit in the freezer.
* Open canned fruit and rinse off syrup.
* Lightly rinse the fresh fruit.
* Peel and remove the skin if necessary (banana, kiwi, melon, etc.).
* Cut larger fruit into (ice-cube size) chunks.
* Lightly spray a cookie sheet with a baking spray and arrange fruit in a single layer.
* Place cookie sheet in freezer.
* Once frozen, remove fruit from sheet, place in freezer bags, and return to freezer until ready to use. Read more…

Word is spreading that fish is good for your health. But like many matters of health and nutrition, there’s nothing simple about simply eating fish. Even though many varieties can be good for your health, contaminants such as mercury, found in many types of fish, are detrimental to your health.

But it gets even more complicated. Beyond choosing fish based on healthfulness (considering things like abundance of healthy Omega-3 fatty acids and low concentrations of mercury and contaminants), consuming fish also has an environmental impact. Many environmental advocates have reported that the mismanagement of many large-scale fishing operations has resulted in overfishing (and the plummeting of some wild fish populations). Fish farming, one alternative to wild fish, may help protect these populations, but other groups claim that fish farming has led to other problems, like the overuse of antibiotics to control disease.

Trying to keep track of which types of fish are healthy and safe—not only for you, but also for the environment—can be  daunting to say the least. This printable seafood guide will come in handy, advising you on the best and worst seafood choices, so you’ll always be able to make smart choices about fish.

Best fish choices are not only raised or caught in environmentally-sound ways, but that are also high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in environmental contaminants (like mercury and PCBs).

Worst fish choices should be avoided, even though some may be high in omega-3’s, because of their negative impact on the environment or high contamination levels.

Note: Information comes from Environmental Defense, a group which works to preserve the health of our oceans, the fish, and us. For more information, visit www.OceansAlive.org. Fish below are listed in no particular order. Read more…

Whether you’re overworked or just plain overstressed, time is valuable to all of us. When making a lifestyle change, it can easily seem overwhelming to include new habits like exercise and healthy eating into your jam-packed days. Between work, school, family and just keeping up—how are you also supposed to find time to prepare healthy meals and read all those labels in the grocery store? These tips will help you spend even less time in the grocery store, emerge with healthy ingredients, and cook diet-friendly meals in minutes.

Time-Saving Grocery Shopping

Keeping a grocery list may seem like a waste of time in the moment, but it will actually save you time while shopping. While any old list is better than none, here are some tips that will turn your list into time well spent.

1. Keep a running list. One of the best places to keep your grocery list is in the kitchen—on the fridge, on a bulletin or wipe board, or even on the pantry door. As you run out of items, add them to the list so you don’t have to remember them later. Then when you’re ready to shop, you’ll have a complete shopping list ready to go with you.

2. Organize your list. You can get through the store quickly if you organize your list in the same order that you typically navigate the grocery store. If you always start in the produce section, then start your list with these foods. If you hit the dairy section last, then add those foods to the bottom of the list. By listing items in order of the store layout, you can avoid retracing your steps to pick up things you missed.

3. Shop during “off” hours and days. You can usually get in and out of the store more quickly if you shop between Sunday and Wednesday, later in the evenings, or during the middle of the day, such as your lunch hour.

4. Avoid shopping when you are hungry. Studies show that when hungry people shop, they are more likely to purchase items that aren’t on their lists. When your belly is growling, you’re more likely to stray off of your list, notice other foods that you didn’t come in to get, and spend extra money overall. Try shopping after a meal or a small snack to stay focused and on track. Read more…

In the US, we enjoy practically unlimited access to any food any time of the year. Although it’s nice to have watermelon in February and asparagus in August, many people don’t even know that foods have a season, let alone what foods are in season at any given time of year.

But in the food world, local is the new exotic. Farmer’s markets are popping up in every neighborhood as consumers are realizing the benefits of eating food that was grown within miles of their mouths. Local food boasts a host of benefits, including better flavor, higher nutritional value, and less environmental burden. It’s healthier for you because you get the higher nutrient levels from just-picked produce. It’s healthier for the environment because local food uses less fossil fuel for transport. It tastes better because it really is fresh (not shipped-from-across-the-country-yet-still-bearing-a-label-that-says-fresh). And it’s also interesting, as each season brings a new crop of foods that you haven’t had for an entire year. Before you’ve had a chance to tire of its bounty, the season changes to bring new, flavorful foods.

If you want to eat healthy, home-cooked meals without all the fuss, try a seasonal pantry makeover! To do it, stock up on locally-grown foods—a fun trip to your local farmer’s market will yield the majority of the ingredients you need—and simply create meals based on what’s in season in your region.
Availability will vary from region to region, but here’s a list of foods that make spring their season, along with tips on how to incorporate the new-to-you ingredients into your meals. Read more…